Oh, Boy!

Atilla Kuru – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)

3rd FIDE World Rapid Team Championship; time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; London, June 11, 2025

Sicilian Defence B24

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 e6 3. g3 Nc6 4. Nge2 Nf6 5. Bg2 d6 6. d4 cxd4 7. Nxd4 Bd7 8. Ndb5 Qb8 9. Bf4 Ne5 10. a4 a6 11. Nd4 Qc7 12. 0-0 Be7 13. a5? White gives up a Pawn without any apparent reason.
13. ... Nc4 14. Bc1 Nxa5 15. g4 h6 16. h4? Nc6 17. g5? The opening of the h-file is suicidal for White.
17. ... hxg5 18. hxg5 Nxd4 19. Qxd4 d5! Threatening mate in one.
20. Re1 Bc5 21. Bf4 Qxf4 22. Qxc5 Rc8 23. Qb6 Nxe4. White could well resign here. The rest is a massacre.
24. Rxe4 dxe4 25. Qxb7 e3 26. f3

26. ... Rxc3! 27. Qb8+ (27. bxc3 Qh2+ 28. Kf1 Bb5+−+)
28. ... Qxb8 0–1.

Floating Free

Shakespearean Echoes

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Natasha Katherine Regan

3rd FIDE World Rapid Team Championship; time control: 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; London, June 11, 2025

Vienna Game C26

1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. g3 Bc5 4. Bg2 c6 5. Nge2 0-0 6. 0-0 d5 7. exd5 cxd5 8. d4 exd4 9. Na4 Bd6 10. Nxd4 Bg4 11. Qd3 Qd7 12. Nc3

12. ... Bh3? Losing a Pawn. Black had to play 12. ... Nc6! 13. Bg5 Be5 with a defensible position.
13. Bg5 Be5 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Nxd5 Bxd4 16. Qxd4 Nc6 17. Bxh3 Qxh3 18. Qe4 Rfe8 19. Qg2 Qxg2+ 20. Kxg2 Re2 21. Rac1 Rd8 22. Rfd1 f6 23. Kf1 Re5 24. c4 Kf7 25. b3 h5 26. Ne3 Rxd1+ 27. Rxd1 Ke6 28. Nd5 h4 29. f3 g5 30. Kf2 a6 31. gxh4 gxh4 32. f4 Re4 33. Kf3 f5 34. Kf2 Nd4!? 34. ... Ne7! 35. Nc7+ Kf7 36. Kf3 Nc6 seems to be a hard nut to crack.
35. Rd2 Kd6?? This is the losing move.
36. Nf6 Rxf4+ 37. Ke3 Ke5 38. Nd7+ 1–0.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) is back again to her easy chair with a board in front. Photo: Rafal Oleksiewicz/FIDE.

When in Paris, do as the Parisians do, Edna! So just ask for a giant bowl of limoncello raspberry tiramisu

Artwork © Maddie Gartmann (@gartygoodies)

Histoire d’侯 (Hóu)

Dernière minute! The anniversary of 100th Jubilee of Paris City Chess Championship scheduled to take place at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin in Paris, France, from July 12–18, 2025, will see the exceptional participation of four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán)! For further details and information, click here.

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) in a stock photo from last year’s Chinese Chess League. Photo via Ligue d’Île-de-France des Échecs.

Sunny Rain

Well, Edna, rumours say that Mona Lisa is coming to the city to pose bare-shouldered without a chaperone for photographers and journalists

Artwork © p,with,raz

Sofatime Story

陈丹青 (Chén Dānqīng), Floral Dresses, 2016. Courtesy of Artnet.

See you tomorrow, Edna

Artwork © Mercado Livre

The Four Seasons

陈丹青 (Chén Dānqīng), Bandsman (sketch), 2007. Courtesy of Artnet.

You’ll see, Edna. Big Ben will chime thirty-one times in your honour as soon as your plane lands

Artwork © 💥♥️🔜AnimeExpo G33 (@krystalmelodie)

Gold in the Sky

High five, Edna, high five — a thousand yes to you

Artwork © Davi Calil (@davicalil)

Sound Waves

Indie artistes Shye and 9m88 × ELLE Singapore June issue cover 2025, photographed by Joel Low. Courtesy of ELLE Singapore.

Yes, Edna, you’ve understood me correctly

Artwork © Dylan 王璽 (@i_am_dylanwang)

Tastefully Yours

What can one say, Edna? If they knew what you can do, they’d never forget to make a bow to your double

Artwork © Seiyun | ❤💛💙💜 (@SteelPampers)

Hot Autumn

Playbill: PIPE Live Music.

To be sure, Edna, if you had been his Circe, Odysseus would have never got back to Ithaca

Artwork © Giorgiu93

Wetlands

Wetland covered with Suaeda salsa, a plant also known as seepweed or sea-blite, in 青岛 (Qīngdǎo), 山东省 (Shāndōng province), China. Photo: AFP/Getty Images.

And so, Edna, may God save the queen!

Courtesy of 🦇 (@elluzacr_)

Albion’s Dance

On Monday, Leonard Barden, the dean of chess journalism, announced on his column in Financial Times that “The cream of the world’s chess players come to Hammersmith next week for the World Rapid and Blitz championships, with an opportunity for London amateurs to watch them in action”. 56 teams will be participating, with the top seed being the WR squad — sponsored and owned by the German tycoon Wadim Alexandrowitsch Rosenstein — which will be graced by the cameo presence of four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), back on stage after a long absence.

Solar eclipse

Come on, Edna, for too long they, poor serfs and enriched lords, longed and sought for peace and solace from you

Artwork © Jose-Ramiro

😉